Five Points business owners might agree about their love for the historic neighborhood, yet their opinions diverge on applying urban-renewal tools to the Welton Street corridor.

Denver City Council on Monday night declared a 29-block section of the historically black neighborhood blighted and officially adopted an urban redevelopment plan for the mostly commercial area.

Some are enthusiastic about new opportunities for Five Points. But others say the plan is a ruse to push old businesses out of the neighborhood anchored by the Blair-Caldwell African-American Research Library, the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theater and the historic, but shuttered, Rossonian Hotel.

“Anything to bring people into the area is fine with me,” said Flynn Dickerson, owner of the Welton Street Cafe, a half block up from the intersection that gives Five Points its name.

Dickerson’s daughter, Fathima Dickerson, 25, said she avoids the neighborhood unless she’s working at her family’s restaurant near the Department of Motor Vehicles Plaza — something she’d like to see change.

“After 5 p.m., there is nothing to do over here, unless you’re up to no good,” she said.

Denver Urban Renewal Authority executive director Tracy Huggins said the next step in the process is for officials to meet with business owners and discuss options for the neighborhood along the RTD light rail.

“Before anything can move forward, we need to find out everyone’s intentions,” she said. “Do they want to sell? Redevelop? Do nothing?”

Huggins said talks will occur within weeks.

Carl Bourgeois, the owner of the Rossonian, which is considered by many to be a keytone in the area’s revitalization, could not be reached for comment.

Crayton Jones Jr., 60-year owner of C&B Cleaners, said he’s not interested in taking a loan from anyone.

“Most business owners around here can’t get a loan to fix anything up, and I’m not interested in paying anyone back,” Jones said. “If anything is going to happen to my business, it’ll be with my own money.”

Jones said he is especially worried about the eminent-domain provision described in the plan. He said giving DURA the power to seize private property for civic uses will make it easy for businesses like his to be pushed out.

“They threw that in there so if they have to use it, they can,” he said.

Any use of eminent domain under the plan would have to be approved by the council, city officials said.

Jones said business in the area is bad but tough times have struck before and the shop has pulled through without redevelopment.

Franklin Stiger, who has owned Franklin Stiger Afro Styling Barber Shop on Welton for 40 years, said he’s neutral on the issue of the redevelopment plan.

Stiger said all areas change with time.

“City Council can come down and talk to us if they want to,” he said, “but they’ll still vote however they want to vote for change to happen.”

His wife, Maedella Stiger, said while the families who own many of the Five Points businesses are the same, the younger generation is willing to sell, which made her sad.

“The owners passed it all down to their kids, and the kids want change,” she said.

Ryan Parker was a reporter for The Denver Post from 2011 until May 2014. A Colorado native, Parker started his career at smaller weeklies and worked for YourHub before becoming a breaking news reporter for The Post.

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